Sunday Herald books of the year

A review and recommendation of books from 201

It wasn't like this in 1979

A short talk on the difference between the 1979 referendum campaign and the 2014 on

Irn Bru Granny

A talk on the Irn Bru Loser Mentalit

The Exploration Ethic: Its Historical-Intellectual Basis. Outlook for Space (1980 - 2000)

Principle components of the exploration ethic are discussed. Attempts were made to justify both the historical and intellectual aspects of the concept. It was noted that intellectual justification is strongly grounded on: (1) the complementarity of objective and normative inquiry as to method, and (2) interdisciplinary alliance of ethics of adaptive systems with contemporary decision sciences, as a theoretical basis. Historical exploration justification was associated with: (1) periods of civilization transition, (2) changes in the process of exploration which cause change in types of rationals used, sponsors involved, and explorers interest, and (3) the incorrectness of proven prior cost/benefit calculations

RNA Deregulation in Metastatic Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed and second highest cause of cancer-related mortality in women, with the majority of deaths associated with metastatic spread of tumors to distal organs. The metastatic process involves multiple sequential steps including invasion of the surrounding stroma, intravasation into lymph or blood vessels, survival during transport with successful evasion of the immune system, extravasation and final outgrowth in the new microenvironment. At each step cells acquire new properties through the alteration of gene expression profiles. While a great deal of effort has been made towards understanding the underlying genetic mutations associated with enhanced motility and invasiveness, it is becoming increasingly apparent that post-transcriptional modification of gene expression at the RNA level contributes substantially towards gain of metastatic potential. In eukaryotic cells RNA is subject to multiple layers of regulation that together generate extensive phenotypic and temporal complexity from a relatively small number of genes. RNA regulation is achieved through the concerted action of multiple RNA binding proteins (RBPs) which themselves are subject to tight regulation. Recent studies have implicated the aberrant expression of multiple RBPs in tumor development and metastatic spread, while technological advances have provided methods by which unbiased, transcriptome-wide footprints of RBP-RNA interactions can be mapped. High-throughput cross-linked immunoprecipitation (HITS-CLIP) provides both the identity of regulated transcripts and the location of RBP regulation within a transcript. For the post-transcriptional regulatory protein Argonaute (AGO), which binds mRNA in complex with small non-coding microRNAs (miRNAs), HITSCLIP derived 3’UTR binding sites have been shown to correspond to sites of functional miRNA-mediated target down regulation. In this study, a molecularly characterized cell culture based model system of breast cancer metastasis has been employed to investigate the role of RNA binding proteins in the inhibition of metastatic progression. AGO-mRNA regulation mediated by endogenous miRNAs and exogenous anti-metastatic pre-miR-335 has been interrogated by HITSCLIP to identify on a genome-wide scale differentially regulated targets with respect to metastatic potential. Furthermore, HITS-CLIP has been used to characterize a novel anti-metastatic RNA binding protein, RBM47, uncovering multifunctional regulation of target transcript stability and alternative splicing

An Administrative Guide for Aligning Eastmont High School Curriculum with Career Pathways

The purpose of this project was to develop an administrative guide to assist students in grades 9 - 12 in planning an educational course of study focused on Career Pathways at Eastmont High School, East Wenatchee, Washington. To accomplish this purpose, current research and literature related to career guidance and counseling and Career Pathways was reviewed. Additionally, materials and information from selected Washington high schools concerning Career Pathways related programs were obtained and analyzed

Mediators of weight loss in an internet-based intervention for African American adolescent girls

The primary aim of this study was to assess the process variables involved in a weight loss program for African-American adolescent girls. This internet-based intervention compared a behavioral treatment program to an educational treatment program; it was hypothesized that participants randomized to the behavioral condition would lose more weight at 6 months than those in the educational condition. Several process variables have been identified as affecting success in in vivo weight loss programs for adults and children, including program adherence, self-efficacy, and social support. The current study sought to broaden the understanding of these process variables as they pertain to an intervention program that is presented via the internet. It was hypothesized that variables such as program adherence, dietary self-efficacy, psychological factors, and social support factors would mediate the effect of experimental condition on weight loss. Results partially supported the hypotheses. For weight loss among adolescents, parent variables pertaining to life and family satisfaction were the strongest mediating variables. For parent weight loss, changes in dietary practices over the course of 6 months were the strongest mediators. These findings suggest that family/parental variables exert a strong influence on weight loss efforts for adolescents. Future treatment studies should emphasize the role of the family and incorporate components to address psychological well-being of other family members to facilitate success